De Beauvoir Noir N1

There are so many visual treats all over this house, which is essentially a cube, clad in stained black cedar - a single slot window at the front is all that indicates this is actually a house. This is a photographer’s dream house in more ways than one.

In this beautiful sanctuary there is soft artificial lighting and clever techniques used to draw in natural daylight such as the triple-height well inside the front entrance. Thick double doors and hemp insulated walls make this a quiet place to shoot dialogue and it also features a large double door hatch to load in furniture and heavy equipment. Upstairs in the main living room a large single-pane picture window overlooks the Rubina, Oak, Maple and Birch trees.
Outdoors, recessed up-lighting along the top of the fence washes light through the surrounding foliage creating a green glow that encloses and increases the contrast of the building.

Owned by a photographer, there has been particular consideration on aspects of the house in order to make the best of the sunlight in its journey around the building through the day. Shadows of bamboo cane are caught on the opaque bedroom window; the light warms the front in the morning; fills the rear courtyard outside the kitchen around midday (ideal for crew lunches) and the early evening light fills the top floor living room, breaking through the leaves of the oak tree, creating an animated wallpaper effect.